Manila, 1 March 2017-- Reacting to President Rodrigo Duterte’s signing yesterday of the Paris Agreement on climate change and expected submission of the instrument of accession to the Senate for concurrence, Renato Redentor Constantino, Executive Director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, released the following statement:

“We did not doubt President Duterte’s intention to act on climate change. By signing the Paris Agreement, his administration is asserting its leadership role in the UN climate negotiations. This was a team effort in government and we applaud the work of Senator Loren Legarda, Environment Secretary Gina Lopez, and Climate Change Commissioner Emmanuel de Guzman in promoting the country’s ratification of the landmark global deal.

“Committing to the agreement and its 1.5°C target will make our nation more resilient while helping transform and pump prime a more sustainably powered inclusive economy. Keeping within the temperature limit can trigger economic growth, create jobs, improve energy access and public health.

“The baton has been passed to the Senate, which needs to shepherd the climate deal fast enough to give our country the platform it needs to lead Southeast Asia’s climate action agenda. As chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Philippines can push our region to partner with China and Japan to scale up investments towards a modern climate-sensitive regional economy.”

The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities is a policy group in the Philippines promoting low-carbon development strategies, sustainable energy solutions and fair climate policy in vulnerable countries.